Life stories from North Korea

Stories from the hidden lives of North Koreans -- told by people who have fled from the world's most notorious police state.

The bare room of an ageing house in the centre of Seoul: a young woman is shown in, one of a hundred thousand young women studying in the South Korean megacity. But this one has an unusual background: she has come here from North Korea. She sits down with a smile and begins describing her experiences in the north of this divided land. Soon the tears are pouring down her cheeks, and all through the interview her face is a rainbow of crying and laughter.

The next day a middle-aged man enters the same room. He fled to South Korea just a few weeks ago. He talks stony-faced about his work as a military policeman in North Korea and how he persecuted, abused and even shot people like the young student. Many refugees come into the room to offer their anonymous testimony. They lead hidden lives in South Korea and are often alone with their experiences.

This is an adaptation from an original German production by Jens Jarisch. Translation from German by Tom Morton.